1/17/08

Guest Commentary:

Christmas is coming

by Keith Wilson

The more that I think about Christmas, the more I get confused. Is Christmas just a holiday that everyone uses to give gifts to friends, or is it more?

If we think about it in a religious manner, then it can really be confusing. How does a Jewish person, or a Muslim, or an atheist, or a Christian, or any other person think about Christmas?

I must explain at this point that Christmas is very important to me because I am a Christian, and the 25th of December is the day that I celebrate Christ’s birth. I respect everyone’s right to make their own choice on how they feel about Christmas, but for me it’s Christ birthday.

So it is proper for me to think in terms as I think Christ would want me to, and He told us very clearly that His message is one of love. In fact at one point when He was teaching, He was asked “of all the commandments, which is most important?” He then said that we should love the Lord, and just how we should do this, and the second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If we all did this we wouldn’t have the problems that we currently deal with. This for me is the key to a very happy life, and it ties nicely into our tendency to give gifts at Christmas time.

In spite of religious feelings, in this country people generally give gifts at Christmas time, and certainly the merchants don’t hesitate to take advantage of our desire to buy. Sales of every type one can imagine are promoted, but we should be very careful that it doesn’t put us in a financial crunch. If we tackle our shopping in a planned manner, with a budget, there is a good chance that we can make it through the season with control of our bank account. The important thing for each of us to remember is that the purpose of our gift is to let someone know that we care. It’s not to put us in the poor house.

Well my friends, these are just a few thoughts that I had as I sit here and think about Christmas. I hope that each of you enjoy this time in a very meaningful way, and that you and yours have a very merry Christmas.